The Mule Railgun (Sequel To The Commoner Railgun)

[Thomar_of_Uointer]

Check this out!


Once during your move you can mount a creature that is within 5 feet of you or dismount. Doing so counts an amount of movement equal to half your speed.

The initiative of a controlled mount changes to match yours when you mount it. A controlled mount can move and act even on the turn you mount it.

So this rule allows the following theoretical scenario:


Line up a couple hundred human commoners (human because they have 30 feet of movement), spaced 40 feet apart.
Ready a mule at one end.
Have everybody delay to the same initiative count. If you can't delay, just order the commoners by their initiative order.
Have the commoner next to the mule spend 15 feet of movement to mount it, lead it forward 40 feet, and then dismount it so the next commoner can get on. If the commoner can't dismount in time, the next commoner can just shove him off before mounting.
Repeat during the current round's initiative count until you've broken the sound barrier. (Mach 1 is 1,116 feet per second, so compared to our 40 foot per round mule's speed assuming a 6-second round we need 168 commoners to pull this off.)
Aim your supersonic mule payload at a dragon to splatter it across the mountainside.


tl;dr: Mule op, this edition is obviously broken.

[Edge of Dreams]

Well, "Once during your move you can mount a creature that is within 5 feet of you or dismount." - don't you have each commoner both mounting and dismounting in the same turn? I read the RAW as saying you can only do one or the other in a turn, not both.

[BRC]

I don't think that quite works.

The Mule moves with It's Initiative.

Commoner 1 Goes, mounts the Mule.
The Mule's initiative is now Commoner 1's.
The Mule moves.
Commoner 1 Dismounts.
Commoner 2 mounts the mule, the Mule now goes on Commoner 2's initiative.
However, the Mule has already moved this round. Its initiative changed to match Commoner 2, but it has already used its action and movement this turn, regardless of its initiative.

tldr: Mules are balanced in 5e, stop your muchkinery.

[Ferrin33]

Check this out!



So this rule allows the following theoretical scenario:


Line up a couple hundred human commoners (human because they have 30 feet of movement), spaced 40 feet apart.
Ready a mule at one end.
Have everybody delay to the same initiative count.
Have the commoner next to the mule spend 15 feet of movement to mount it, lead it forward 40 feet, and then dismount it so the next commoner can get on.
Repeat during the current round's initiative count until you've broken the sound barrier. (Mach 1 is 1,116 feet per second, so compared to our 40 foot per round mule's speed assuming a 6-second round we need 168 commoners to pull this off.)
Aim your hypersonic mule payload at a dragon to splatter it across the mountainside.


tl;dr: Mule op, this edition is obviously broken.

"You control a mount only if it has been trained to accept a rider. Domesticated horses, donkeys, and similar creatures are assumed to have such training. The initiative of a controlled mount changes to match yours when you mount it. It moves as you direct it, and it has only three action options: Dash Disengage, and Dodge." -Controlling a Mount, PH 198

No sorry, doesn't work.

[randomodo]

Mule can act and move on the turn you mount it, but I don't reckon that changes the total movement allotment per round that the mule has.

Funny, though.

[Easy_Lee]

I think the commoner railgun still works since you can drop things for free and pick them up as part of a move. Could probably do that in a much smaller area, too

[Mr.Moron]

As the last of the townsfolk dismounted, Ol' Dusty's legs could only been seen as a blur. Each hoof leaving the ground for the next stride before it had come down from the previous one. It was but a second before his shoulders seemed to move past his head, in a half second more his haunches. Ol' Dusty's body twisted, folded and then tore. Those at the front had perhaps half a moment to witness the grotesque ball of pulped flesh that was once Ol' Dusty speed away before the flash came.

The sound was a tremendous, a bang that shattered even the windows of the great cathedral in the capital, a week's hard ride from that place. As the dust cleared the townsfolk lay dead if anything remained of them at all. A great crater had formed, a mile wide and twice as deep. Above the crater the clouds of the overcast day had been blown away in unnaturally perfect circle, revealing a blue sky.

At the edge of the crater, the fighter looked down at what remained of his breastplate. It was lying on the ground, torn in half by the force the event. The cleric fumbled blindly to heal his wounds, he was able to stop the bleeding but his eyes were beyond his abilities. They stumbled forward stunned and disoriented before coming upon the wizard's corpse in a condition that could not be respectfully described. They found no trace of their friend the rogue.


They sat to rest. Too shocked to process had what had happened. Suddenly, all traces of the sun's light vanished. Looking up the fighter saw a terrifying slab of stone had appeared in the sky, filling the void in the clouds. The details of the slabs surface were barely visible lit by the meaning glow of the runs on it's surface. Slowly the circle began to slowly open.

The fighter could see nothing within the portal but a void. The overwhelming stench of hay and manure descended from circle. Then came a great braying as something stirred within the darkness.

[Abithrios]

Well, "Once during your move you can mount a creature that is within 5 feet of you or dismount." - don't you have each commoner both mounting and dismounting in the same turn? I read the RAW as saying you can only do one or the other in a turn, not both.

Each commoner can use their action to shove the previous commoner. The previous commoner chooses to let themselves be shoved and fail the save to stay on the mule (I am not sure if choosing to fail is actually allowed by RAW). Thus, the previous commoner lands prone by the mule, taking no damage. The reason this combo is not broken by RAW is that there is no momentum and no air resistance--even a superluminal mule would still be able to stop on a dime and would not slam into objects for any more damage than if it had only moved a few feet in the last few seconds instead of the many miles it actually did travel.

The RAW-legal advantage to making this trick work is if you want to move the mule (or something it carries) from one place to another fast and have a ton of people to string along the path. The disadvantage to this method is that it is extremely labor-intensive

Also, a nitpick for OP, 5e does not include delaying, so this trick would take a full turn to do if you have your commoners in order by initiative, and longer to set up if you do not. That seems like the real RAW reason for this trick to fail--the difficulty of having your commoners act in the proper order. The DMG is rumored to have rules for "group initiative", which would make this work.

[Thomar_of_Uointer]

Each commoner can use their action to shove the previous commoner. The previous commoner chooses to let themselves be shoved and fail the save to stay on the mule (I am not sure if choosing to fail is actually allowed by RAW). Thus, the previous commoner lands prone by the mule, taking no damage. The reason this combo is not broken by RAW is that there is no momentum and no air resistance--even a superluminal mule would still be able to stop on a dime and would not slam into objects for any more damage than if it had only moved a few feet in the last few seconds instead of the many miles it actually did travel.

The RAW-legal advantage to making this trick work is if you want to move the mule (or something it carries) from one place to another fast and have a ton of people to string along the path. The disadvantage to this method is that it is extremely labor-intensive

Also, a nitpick for OP, 5e does not include delaying, so this trick would take a full turn to do if you have your commoners in order by initiative, and longer to set up if you do not. That seems like the real RAW reason for this trick to fail--the difficulty of having your commoners act in the proper order. The DMG is rumored to have rules for "group initiative", which would make this work.

Ah, very good. I'll add this to the original post.


As the last of the townsfolk dismounted, Ol' Dusty's legs could only been seen as a blur. Each hoof leaving the ground for the next stride before it had come down from the previous one. It was but a second before his shoulders seemed to move past his head, in a half second more his haunches. Ol' Dusty's body twisted, folded and then tore. Those at the front had perhaps half a moment to witness the grotesque ball of pulped flesh that was once Ol' Dusty speed away before the flash came.

The sound was a tremendous, a bang that shattered even the windows of the great cathedral in the capital, a week's hard ride from that place. As the dust cleared the townsfolk lay dead if anything remained of them at all. A great crater had formed, a mile wide and twice as deep. Above the crater the clouds of the overcast day had been blown away in unnaturally perfect circle, revealing a blue sky.

At the edge of the crater, the fighter looked down at what remained of his breastplate. It was lying on the ground, torn in half by the force the event. The cleric fumbled blindly to heal his wounds, he was able to stop the bleeding but his eyes were beyond his abilities. They stumbled forward stunned and disoriented before coming upon the wizard's corpse in a condition that could not be respectfully described. They found no trace of their friend the rogue.


They sat to rest. Too shocked to process had what had happened. Suddenly, all traces of the sun's light vanished. Looking up the fighter saw a terrifying slab of stone had appeared in the sky, filling the void in the clouds. The details of the slabs surface were barely visible lit by the meaning glow of the runs on it's surface. Slowly the circle began to slowly open.

The fighter could see nothing within the portal but a void. The overwhelming stench of hay and manure descended from circle. Then came a great braying as something stirred within the darkness.

And of course an adventuring party is involved. :D

[Friv]

As the last of the townsfolk dismounted, Ol' Dusty's legs could only been seen as a blur. Each hoof leaving the ground for the next stride before it had come down from the previous one. It was but a second before his shoulders seemed to move past his head, in a half second more his haunches. Ol' Dusty's body twisted, folded and then tore. Those at the front had perhaps half a moment to witness the grotesque ball of pulped flesh that was once Ol' Dusty speed away before the flash came.

The sound was a tremendous, a bang that shattered even the windows of the great cathedral in the capital, a week's hard ride from that place. As the dust cleared the townsfolk lay dead if anything remained of them at all. A great crater had formed, a mile wide and twice as deep. Above the crater the clouds of the overcast day had been blown away in unnaturally perfect circle, revealing a blue sky.

At the edge of the crater, the fighter looked down at what remained of his breastplate. It was lying on the ground, torn in half by the force the event. The cleric fumbled blindly to heal his wounds, he was able to stop the bleeding but his eyes were beyond his abilities. They stumbled forward stunned and disoriented before coming upon the wizard's corpse in a condition that could not be respectfully described. They found no trace of their friend the rogue.


They sat to rest. Too shocked to process had what had happened. Suddenly, all traces of the sun's light vanished. Looking up the fighter saw a terrifying slab of stone had appeared in the sky, filling the void in the clouds. The details of the slabs surface were barely visible lit by the meaning glow of the runs on it's surface. Slowly the circle began to slowly open.

The fighter could see nothing within the portal but a void. The overwhelming stench of hay and manure descended from circle. Then came a great braying as something stirred within the darkness.
Awesome! But allow me to present a counter-argument.


Verimthrax raised its mighty end, flame belching forth upon the town. As it did, Sigeland stepped in the path of the blaze, digging his shield into the ground as he ducked for cover. The flames crackled around him, and his friends took shelter from the blast.

"We'll be cooked alive at this rate!" Tanith shouted, reaching for her crossbow. "We need to find higher ground!"

"Not to worry," intoned Janella the Blue, with a mysterious smile. "I have made... arrangements."

"What arrangements?" Tanith spat. "We need a strategy, not your mystical mumbo-jumbo!" She gestured behind her. "The townsfolk are in danger! You've strung them out along the dragon's path like so many party snacks..."

Before Janella could respond, there was a blur of motion on the horizon. A brown blur, and the faint motion of townsfolk tumbling in all directions. "Is that... Ol' Dusty?" Tanith asked.

The blur raced towards the dragon, as commoners rose and fell like dominoes in front of it. It blasted up towards the shield, and Janella laughed exultantly. Leaping forwards, she knocked the last commoner off the donkey, continuing its motion forwards, and yelled, "Blast 'im to smithereens, Dusty!"

There was a moment of silence as the mule moved, its arc carrying it straight into the dragon.

There was another moment of thunderous hooves, as the sound of Dusty's approach finally caught up to the battle.

There was another moment of silence.

"Hm," Janelle said, looking at the mule, now standing placidly next to a befuddled dragon. "I really thought that would work..."

Because no matter how much you manage to make the mule move, its speed remains 40'.

[CyberThread]

Why can't a human mount a human, you could literately make Shar gleam with pride, as you have a logical reason to have an orgy, so you can give across a room faster :D